#21 Kitano Tenmangu Shrine - Winter Plum Buds

Before I knew it, buttoning up my coat had become second nature.

When I go outside in the morning, the air is colder than I expected, making my steps feel a little heavier.
I don't dislike winter, but I can't say I love it either.
I spend my days with that kind of vague sense of distance.

My daily life is surprisingly flat.
There are no particular lows, nor are there any events that make my heart leap.

It is just that the seasons are steadily moving forward.

Perhaps I visited the plum grove at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine so as not to be left behind by that flow.
I wanted to confirm the air just before the end of winter.

- The place called Kitano Tenmangu Shrine

Kitano Tenmangu is a shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, known as the god of learning.

During exam season, votive tablets line the grounds, and people's wishes fill the shrine in a visible form.
However, on a winter weekday, that intensity has receded as if it were a lie.

Walking through the grounds, even though it is a tourist spot, it feels somewhat like an extension of a residential area.
It lacks flashiness, but it has the weight of accumulated time.

Within that, I believe the plum grove is the place that speaks most quietly of what makes Kitano Tenmangu what it is.

Plum blossoms in spring are easy to understand.
Both their scent and color welcome those who see them.

But the winter plum grove is different.
There are no explanations or invitations there, just the trees standing alone.

For some reason, I am drawn to that attitude.

- Winter scenery at Kitano Tenmangu

Winter at Kitano Tenmangu is quieter than one might think.

It is not so much that there are few sounds, but rather that the sounds are distant.
More than the voices of people, the sounds of my own footsteps and the rustling of my clothes come to my attention.

As you enter the plum grove, you see plum trees with their branches spread wide.
There are no flowers.
There is little color.

And yet, for some reason, your gaze lingers.

The way the branches overlap and the shadows fall suits the winter light perfectly.

It seems as if nothing is happening, yet something is beginning.
That sense of anticipation is the only thing drifting through the grove.

・Plum buds and the winter air

When you peer closely at the tips of the branches, you see small buds.

To be honest, I missed them at first.
They are so modest that you wouldn't notice their existence unless you were consciously looking for them.

The plum buds show no sign of trying to meet expectations.
They are simply there.

Are they enduring the cold, or are they just pretending to endure it?
I cannot tell the difference.

Even so, spring is definitely approaching.
That fact alone seems to sustain the existence of the buds.

I wondered if I, too, was spending my time in a similar way.
Even if there is no noticeable change, it does not mean that things have come to a standstill.

・Pausing between winter and spring

As I walk through the plum grove, there are moments when I lose track of what season it is.

The cold is certainly winter, but the buds are facing toward spring.
The feeling of being caught in between was strangely realistic.

People tend to seek clear, obvious changes.
However, actual time is much more ambiguous and much less kind.

The plum buds show this to us in silence.

It felt as if I were being told that it didn't need to bloom just yet.
I felt as if that was what was being said.

・Thoughts felt at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine

The winter plum grove at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine is not a place that provides a sense of awe.

It isn't photogenic, and it lacks obvious appeal.
Even so, there is a tangible sensation that can only be felt during this time of year.

By placing myself in a time where nothing is happening,
I can see a little more clearly where I am standing.

The plum buds waiting for spring do not promise the future.
They simply appeared to be affirming the present.

That stillness was just right for me at this moment.

[Related Article] Tofuku-ji Temple - A Winter Moss Garden Stroll

The perspective of walking through Kyoto in winter includes not only Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, but also the silence experienced in other places. For example, at the moss garden of Tofuku-ji Temple, I spent time where my thoughts naturally quieted down while facing the landscape of moss illuminated by frost. By reading them together, you will be able to feel more deeply the diverse stillness that Kyoto's winter possesses.